Monday, November 21, 2016

Bill Wrich; One of a Kind

by Lee AckermanOmaha, Neb. -
In 1954, they built a 1/5th-mile track in Arlington,
Nebraska near the Washington County Fairgrounds. As the track was nearing
completion, a 16-year-old farm boy was helping his dad on the farm and asked
his dad if it was all right if he raced at the new track. His dad said, “I
really don’t care because, I don’t think you will like it.

The farm boy raced at the new track on June 20, 1954,
winning his heat race and the trophy dash before retiring from the feature with
mechanical issues. In 1995, that same farm boy was still racing winning the
Grand National Late Model Championship at Sunset Speedway in Omaha. In between,
Bill Wrich put a lot of miles on going to racetracks around the Midwest, and he
won a lot of races.

Bill finished fourth in the points that first year at
Arlington, and twice scored clean sweeps winning his heat, the trophy dash and
the feature. In 1956, Bill and wife Joyce even planned their marriage so they
wouldn’t miss a race at Arlington. They got married on a Tuesday, took a quick
honeymoon to Colorado and were back in time for the races at Arlington on
Sunday night.

Bill Wrich in the early days of his racing career. - Photo courtesy of Lee Ackerman

In 1957, Bill won the track championship at Arlington. In
1958 while leading the point race by a large margin, he decided to switch
tracks and run at Onawa, Iowa, he still finished second in points at Arlington
without running the last several races.

In 1961, he dominated racing in the Omaha area winning the
track championship at Playland Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa and sharing the
track championship at Sunset Speedway in Omaha with Bud Burdick. On Labor Day
Weekend 1962, Skylark Raceway in Columbus (then a hot-bed of coupe racing) held
the “Five State Mid-States Championship.” Fifty-Three cars from five states
competed in the race and Bill, without ever racing at the track before, come
away with the victory.

In 1964 driving No. 8-Ball car, Bill decided to try out the
competition at a new track in Sioux City called Soos Speedway, built over a
ballpark. After winning several weeks in a row, he was encouraged by the locals
to find somewhere else to race. He also continued to race occasionally at
Sunset Speedway during this time.

In 1966, Al Hadan, owner of Sunset Speedway built a 1934
Willy’s to race. “It was an interesting car.” remembered Bill. “We found a
Willy’s frame along the banks of the Platte River and dug it out. The first
night out we won both features, after that the frame seemed to get weaker and
it just never raced well.“ said Wrich.

In 1968, Bill teamed with legendary Harlan, Iowa mechanical
whiz, Dale Swanson and the results were nothing short of spectacular. Driving
the legendary No. 55 Swanson Chevy, they won almost every feature at Denison,
Iowa that year and ran away with the track championship. They also won several
races at Harlan and took the track championship there as well.

In 1969, driving the No. 180 car for Tom Gawley, Bill
continued his winning ways and finished second at Harlan and was named the
track’s top driver. The pair also won a number of events at the Iowa State
Fairgrounds in Des Moines, including a last lap pass to claim the bounty put on
local star Don Hoffman. In 1969, Bill also claimed his second track
championship at Sunset Speedway.

1969 was also the year of Bill’s most memorable win, that
coming at the Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa. Bill was cruising along
when his left front wheel came off. Instead of dropping out of the race though,
Bill just kept going. Bill backed off the gas and limped around the turns, then
as he was coming off the turn, he’d hit the gas enough to keep the front
wheel-less left front hub just a few inches off the ground until he got into
the next corner. He did that for three laps and WON!

In 1970, Bill won the “Speedway Invitational” at Sunset in
his back-up car. He raced at Harlan on Friday nights, Des Moines on Saturday
night and Sunset on Sunday night. In 1971, due to the success he was having, he
was in the running for a ride in a Junior Johnson car, but things didn’t work
out and the ride went to a driver from South Carolina named Cale Yarborough,
who went on to win three NASCAR Cup Championships in the ride.

The 70’s saw Bill spending time campaigning in the IMCA fair
circuit and with USAC. Bill won IMCA Stock Car events at the Clay County Fair
in Spencer, Iowa in 1973 and 1977 as well as a couple of other events at
Spencer. He finished fourth in IMCA Stock Car points in 1976 and third in 1977.

On September 10, 1977, his win at Spencer was the last race
every held in the old IMCA Stock Car circuit. Bill also tried racing for a time
at the I-70 Speedway near Odessa, Missouri on the asphalt. Bill said, “the
first time I went down there we won our heat and ran second in the feature. But
that was before the interstate was finished and we had a devil of a time just
getting there.”

Bill Wrich poses in his stock car, 1974 - Kyle Ealy Collection

Bill also campaigned in 1974 and 1975 in several USAC
events. He brought home two top-10’s including a fifth at the Terre Haute
Action Track in Indiana. In looking back, Bill says, “I built my own cars,
because I wanted to race Chevrolets. I should have gone down and bought one
from Bobby Allison, I would have probably been better off.”

He also raced the red No. 54 for Larry Skalberg during this
era, mostly in special events. He won the late model portion of the “Sunset
Classic” called the Triple Crown event, in 1973 and again in 1977.

Being a farmer, Bill said there were times I was too busy or
didn’t have the money to race. “When the cattle market was good, I was back
racing again.” recalled Wrich. In 1995, Sunset Speedway added the Grand
National Late Model class, and it’s first point champion was an old farmer from
Kennard named Bill Wrich. Bill raced the series through 1998 before retiring
from the series.

His last race was at the 2000 “Tiny Lund Memorial” in Harlan,
which was won by his son Dwight in a car prepared by Bill. One thing about Bill
Wrich prepared cars, they usually were very well balanced. Tragically, two
weeks after winning the “Tiny Lund”, Bill’s son Dwight lost his life in a fiery
crash at Denison.

Bill raced one more time, at the legends race at I-80
Speedway in 2005. He started in the sixth row and took the lead on the last lap
to win the race.

Bill was born on July 30, 1956 on a family farm south of
Kennard where he still lives with is wife, Joyce. Their children include;
Debbie Kerber of Blair, Jacque Salerno of Omaha, Gayle Russell of Arlington and
their late son Dwight. The Wrich’s also raised nephews Randy Larsen, who lives
in Arizona and Ricky Larsen of Omaha.

While his racing career is over, and having recently had heart
surgery, I wouldn’t look for him to give up farming to soon. On the other hand,
I do know that that old 1958 Ford hauler that Bill used to haul race cars to
the tracks with since the late 60’s, is still setting in a shed on the family
farm, so who knows.

Writer's note; The above was a story
I wrote about Bill Wrich for Hawkeye Racing News maybe eight or nine years ago.
We just lost Bill and he will be greatly missed by family, friends and
the entire racing community. Bill was one of a kind, no doubt about that.

To update this story,
Bill stayed on the farm and eventually that old Ford Hauler came out of the
shed and carried a beautiful powder blue no. 16 GOTRA car to races across the
area as he raced with the Good Ole Time Racing Association. This past summer
(64 years after his dad told him he didn’t think he’d like racing) he was still
behind the wheel. You know the saying, once a racer always a racer, and Bill
Wrich fit that description to the letter.

I can't speak for anyone else, but next year when GOTRA rolls into a town that I happen to be at, I'm going to miss seeing that old hauler, and the gruff old guy with a jolly laugh that just made you feel better about life

Preserving the history of Midwest Auto Racing

So much racing history has been made through the years right here in the Midwest.

From the rich dirt ovals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska to the paved short tracks in Minnesota and Wisconsin, some of the best drivers ever to get behind the wheel of a race car competed right here in the heartland.

We all have our own story to share about our favorite driver who thrilled us everytime they rolled onto the track or that one particular race that still stands out as the greatest they ever saw.

We'll go back in history, 10, 20, 30, 40, even 50 years ago (even more) and reminisce about what has made racing in the Midwest so special for us.